PAL plane with VIPs makes emergency landing in Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – A Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight with public figures on board made an emergency landing here in the early afternoon of Friday, September 11.

PAL flight PR-1814 was carrying 131 passengers and 6 crew staff. Airport sources said Dr Elenita Binay, the wife of Vice President Jejomar Binay; Las Piñas Representative Mark Villar, son of Senator Cynthia Villar; and Sultan Kudarat 1st District Representative Pax Mangudadatu were on board.

Except for one who collapsed out of anxiety, all the passengers are reportedly safe and are on standby at the Davao airport.

PR-1814 was scheduled at 11:40 am, but mid-flight, smoke was detected from the plane’s cargo bay, prompting the pilot to call the Mactan Airport at around 1:15 pm to make an emergency landing, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Spokesperson Eric Apolonio said in an email.

However, Mactan advised the flight to turn back to Davao.

“Firemarshall reported that there is no smoke detected on the aircraft but was put in isolated remote parking area to check cargo of aircraft,” Apolonio said.

The plane landed at the Davao airport at 1:35 pm. The passenger who collapsed was immediately fetched by an ambulance.

“The pilots noticed that the aircraft’s ‘cargo smoke warning’ was activated, prompting them to carry out the required procedures to extinguish any smoke,” PAL spokeswoman Maria Cielo Villaluna said in a statement.

“The aircraft is undergoing technical evaluation, assessment, and investigation,” she added.

“CAAP investigators are on site to investigate the incident,” Apolonio added. – with reports from Chrisee Dela Paz, Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com